Ceiling and wall cleaner



Aug. 1, 1939'. F W. FRENCH 2,168,121

CEILING AND WALL CLEANER Filed May lO, 1937 Z3 Z5 5 Z0 21 54 'I 'I ,35 21' l5 d i7 Patented Aug. 1, 1939 n "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CEILING. AND WALL CLEANER.

Frederick W. French, Oakland; Calilt". VV y Application May 1o, 193,7, serial No. 141,797

1 claim. (Cl. 306-20) This invention aims izo-provide a novel means` kThe device: includes an extension IIJ provided on for cleaning or working otherwise upon a wall or its inner surface with longitudinally spaced seats. ceiling. The invention aims so to construct the H, in any of which the end of the inner armnof device that, at the will .of an operator, it may ber the latch 1v maybe mounted. To the upper end 5 used on a horizontal ceiling or on a vertical wall. of the extension I0, fork pieces I2 are secured. In Ill I'he invention aims, further, to provide novel the fork pieces I2, a pivot element I4 is mounted. means for adjusting the device as to length, and The numeral designates an arm which, when for holding the cleaner yieldably in such a position used as shown in Fig. 1, is a lever of the rst order; that it may be used to work upon the ceiling 0r Intermediate its ends, the arm I5 is provided with wall advantageously. an opening I6, adapted to receive the pivot ele- L0' It is within the province of the disclosure to imment or bolt I4'. In the inner end of the arm I5 prove generally and to. enhance the utility ofl dethere is an anchor eye Ii'I vtoy which is detachably vices of that type to which the present invention connected the upper end of' a pull spring I8, carryappertains. inga.tits lower end, a. flexible elementi I9, such asv With the aboveand otherobjectsin view, which a chain, any link of which may be engaged with l will appear as the description proceeds, the inventhe keeper 5*. tion resides in the combination and arrangement An extension rod 2l! is secured, at 2I, to the of parts andin the details .of construction hereinouter end of the arm I5 and constitutes part after described and claimed, itbeing understoOd thereof.

that changes in the precise embodiment of the The numeral 22 designates a cleaner, which 20 invention herein disclosed, may be made within may be constructed as desired. If preferred, the the scope of what is claimed, without departing clearner 22 embodies a. block-like body 23 having from the spirit of the invention. a circumscribing groove 24 receiving a retractile In the accompanying drawing: band 25, holding a flexible cover 26 on the body 23.

Fig. l shows in side elevation, a device con- In the lower, surface of the block-like body 23 L. structed in accordance with the invention, parts there is a recess 21, bridged over by a cover plate being assembled as they will-appear whilst the 28Y held in place by securing elements .29. The ceiling is being cleaned; extension rod 20 of the arm or lever I5 has an end Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the device as portion 30 disposed at an acute angle to said rod..

30 it Will be assembled whilst a vertical Wall is being The end portion 30 of the rod 20 passes through *o worked upon; the cover plate 28, and is provided with a head 3|. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the cleaner; located in the recess 21. The general construction Fig. 4 is a section `on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; is such that the cleaner 22 is connected to the` Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. part 20 by what amounts to a ball and socket In carrying out the invention, there is provided joint. 3.', a main stai I, which may be shod at its lower A retainer or pin 32 is mounted in the part 30 end with a foot 2 of rubber or other material to of the extension rod 2li, and is engaged by an prevent marring. Transverse, loop-shaped guides abutment plate 33 slidably mounted on the part 3 are attached to the main staff I in 'spaced rela- 30 of the extension 2IJ. A compression spring 34 tion longitudinally of the stair, one of the guides surrounds the part 30 of the extension rod 20, :in being located at the upper end of the staff. The one end of the compression spring 34 engaging guides 3 are held in place by securing elements 4, the abutment plate 33, andl the opposite end of and the upper guide may be held in place, addithe spring engaging the cover plate 28 which is tionally, by a hook or keeper 5, secured in the secured to the body portion 23 of the cleaner 22.

upper guide and extended into the upper part of In practical operation, when a ceiling is to be '15 the main staff I. Intermediate its ends, and near worked upon, the parts may be assembled as to its upper end, the main statt` I is supplied with shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Under such ciran eye 6 on one side, which may be a staple. The cumstances, the extension IU is received for slidmain staff I has a transverse bore 8, adapted to ing adjustment in the loop-shaped guides 3 of the receive the inner arm of the U-shaped latch 'I, the main staff I, the staff and the extension consti- 50 outer arm of which is longitudinally slidable in tuting a handle. The effective length of the hanthe eye 6. At one end, the outer arm of the latch dle may be altered by engaging the inner arm of I is provided with a projection 9 adapted to enthe latch 'I in any of the seats II which are gage the eye 6 and preventing the latchyfrom formed in the inner edge of the extension I0.

being detached completely from the eye 6. The arm or lever` I5 is fulcrumed intermediate its 55 ends on the pivot bolt I4, which is carried by the fork pieces I2 on the extension II). The arm or lever I5 can tilt vertically. The downward movement of the part of the lever I5 which carries the cleaner 22 is limited by the resiliency of the spring I8. The angle at which the arm or lever I5 is held yieldably, with respect to the extension I0, is governed and adjusted by engaging any of the links of the chain I9y with the keeper 5. The cleaner 22 may be movedalong the ceiling and in this way the cleaning operation may be carried out. The spring 34 functions to keep the cleaner 22 yieldably at right angles to the end portion 30 of the extension rod 20 on the arm or lever I5, but the cleaner is tiltably mounted so that it will ac'- commodate its working surface tothe ceiling, re-

gardless of the position in whichthe extension I0 and the main stai I may be, with respect to the vertical, or with respect to the ceiling, more;

properly speaking.

`When it is desired to clean a side wall, the parts are arranged as shown in Fig. v2 of the drawing. Under such circumstances, the extension I9 is removed from the staff I, and is removed from the lever-or arm I5, by taking out the pivot bolt I4. The arm I5 then is shoved down into the guides 3 on the staff I, vas shown in Fig. 1, it being noted that the inner surface of the arm I5 is provided with any desired number of seats 35, corresponding to the seats II of Fig. 1, and adapted to receive the end of the inner arm of the latch 1. The construction is such that, when the device is arranged as shown in Fig. 2, the arm I 5 is detachably assembled with the main staff I.

The device is simple in construction, but it aiords a convenient means whereby the workman can clean either a ceiling or a side Wall. The pressure which the cleaner 22 exerts, either upon the ceiling or the side wall, is regulated not only by the pull spring I8, but by the compression spring 34 as well, although the pull spring I8 is relied upon primarily to afford the necessary pressure when a ceiling is being cleaned.

What is claimed is:

In a device for cleaning walls and ceilings, a stai, a guiding means on the staff, an extension slidably adjustable in the guiding means, longitudinally of the stai, the stai and the extension having latch parts cooperating to hold the extension in adjusted positions longitudinally of the stall, a lever, a cleaner mounted on the outer end of the lever, a fulcrum element connecting the Vlever intermediate its ends with the extension, a

pull spring, means for connecting one end of the pull spring to the staff, to vary the combined length of said means and the pull spring, and a connection between the opposite end of the pull springand the inner end of the lever: the extension being Vremovable from the guiding means, the Afulcrum element being removable, the pull spring being detachable from the lever, thelever being of substantially the same cross section as the extension, and the connection being disposed entirelyv within a space of the same cross section as the cross section of the lever, all whereby the lever can be mounted in the guiding means, in place of the extension: the latch parts of the extension being substantially duplicated on the lever, whereby the lever, when taking the place of the extension, may be held in adjusted posi'- tions, longitudinally of the staff.

FREDERICK W. FRENCH. 

